There is a curious story traditionary in some families connected with the nobleman who is the subject of it, which, I am assured, is true, and further, that it has never yet appeared in print.  The story is, therefore, a “Scottish reminiscence,” and, as such, deserves a place here.  The Earl of Lauderdale was so ill as to cause great alarm to his friends, and perplexity to his physicians.  One distressing symptom was a total absence of sleep, and the medical men declared their opinion, that without sleep being induced he could not recover.  His son, a queer eccentric-looking boy, who was considered not entirely right in his mind but somewhat “daft” and who accordingly had had little attention paid to his education, was sitting under the table, and cried out, “Sen’ for that preachin’ man frae Livingstone, for faither aye sleeps in the kirk.”  One of the doctors thought this hint worth attending to.  The experiment of “getting a minister till him” succeeded, and, sleep coming on, he recovered.  The Earl, out of gratitude for this benefit, took more notice of his son, paid attention to his education, and that boy became the Duke of Lauderdale, afterwards so famous or infamous in his country’s history.

The following very amusing anecdote, although it belongs more properly to the division on peculiarities of Scottish phraseology, I give in the words of a correspondent who received it from the parties with whom it originated.  About twenty years ago, he was paying a visit to a cousin, married to a Liverpool merchant of some standing.  The husband had lately had a visit from his aged father, who formerly followed the occupation of farming in Stirlingshire, and who had probably never been out of Scotland before in his life.  The son, finding his father rather de trop in his office, one day persuaded him to cross the ferry over the Mersey, and inspect the harvesting, then in full operation, on the Cheshire side.  On landing, he approached a young woman reaping with the sickle in a field of oats, when the following dialogue ensued:—­

Farmer.—­Lassie, are yer aits muckle bookit[184] th’ year?

Reaper.—­What say’n yo?

Farmer.—­I was speiring gif yer aits are muckle bookit th’ year!

Reaper (in amazement).—­I dunnot know what yo’ say’n.

Farmer (in equal astonishment).—­Gude—­safe—­us,—­do ye no understaan gude plain English?—­are—­yer—­aits—­muckle—­bookit?

Reaper decamps to her nearest companion, saying that was a madman, while he shouted in great wrath, “They were naething else than a set o’ ignorant pock-puddings.”

An English tourist visited Arran, and being a keen disciple of Izaak Walton, was arranging to have a day’s good sport.  Being told that the cleg, or horse-fly, would suit his purpose admirably for lure, he addressed himself to Christy, the Highland servant-girl:—­“I say, my girl, can you get me some horse-flies?” Christy looked stupid, and he repeated his question.  Finding that she did not yet comprehend him, he exclaimed, “Why, girl, did you never see a horse-fly?” “Naa, sir,” said the girl, “but A wance saw a coo jump ower a preshipice.”